2013 September Newsletter in single B5 page size

NEWSLETTER
No. 9
SEPTEMBER 2013
ROB ROY’S YOUNGEST COMPETITOR!
DAVID SMALLACOMBE WATCHES AS TRISTAN JACKSON GETS
READY TO HEAD OFF DOWN THE HILL IN HIS PEDAL CAR
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S.U.S.P.E.C.T.S.
As noted in “In Passing” fourteen members a ended the July SUSPECTS lunch at the club rooms . Why
not come along to the next SUSPECTS lunch on 25th September and enjoy the company of fellow members.
THE WELSH WEEKEND
Fes val of Sloth
12th and 13th October 2013
For those of us with small powered and elderly vehicles, our joys and pleasures are small and savoured:
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The joy of arriving at our des na on
The pleasure of cres ng a hill
The lack of stress at not being first at
morning tea
The joy of not taking ourselves too
seriously!
If this is your sort of car run,
WE WANT YOU!!!!!!!!
A light car by VSCC UK defini on is an unmodified
pre 1930 car of up to 1550 cc capacity and not
more than 30bhp. The en re route will not exceed
100ks, over Light Car friendly roads, with some
form of compe on during the event.
The event is to be held in the Kyneyton area.
Start Saturday 12th October at 12.30pm at the
Kynenton Museum in Piper Street.
Finish Sunday October 13th at approximately 2.30pm
Time to get there. Time to get home
More details to follow. Peter Fleming 97293440
NON VSCC EVENTS (Please make a note of these events now as this lis
ng will not be repeated)
(Nothing advised this month)
MOUNT TARRENGOWER
REQUEST FOR HISTORIC INFORMATION
Robert Sales advises that next year will be the 85th anniversary of the Mt Tarrengower Hill
Climb. Robert is trying to gather as much historical material as he can in prepara on for that
event. It would be greatly appreciated if anyone with relevant material would contact Robert on
5476 2007 or vintagerobert@gmail.com.
Russell Meehan
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VINTAGE SPORTS CAR CLUB of VICTORIA
Directory
COMMITTEE
President
184 Poath Rd
(H) 9563 1391 Mob: 0418 563 734
Stephen Hands
Hughesdale, 3166
president@vintagesportscarclub.org.au
Vice‐President/Club Captain
5 Cloverlea Drive
(H) 9728 6464 Mob: 0429 101 166
John Lakeland
Kilsyth, 3137
E-mail: clubcaptain@vintagesportscarclub.org.au
Secretary
27 Ridgeway Ave
(H) 98 17 28 60 Mob. 0427 17 28 60
Russell Meehan
Kew, 3101
E-mail: secretary@vintagesportscarclub.org.au
For all correspondence, EXCEPT accounts, subscrip ons and limited registra on
Treasurer
12 Gerard St
(H) 9530 0519 Mob. 0427 445 547
Phillip Burns
Caulfield, 3162
E-mail: treasurer@vintagesportscarclub.org.au
Compe on Secretary
6/163 Commercial
(H) 9827 9165
(Fax) 9824 2566
Mark Burns
Road
Mob. 0417 002 892, Email:
South Yarra, 3141
compe onsecretary@vintagesportscarclub.org.au
Newsle er Editor
4 Glen Drive
(H) 9499 3827 Mob: 0414 71 79 45
Graeme Steinfort
Eaglemont, 3084
Email: newsle er@vintagesportscarclub.org.au
Co‐editor
61 Longview Road
(H) 9879 2710 Mob: 0419 369 648
Mike Bellair
Croydon 3136
E-mail: mikebellair@gmail.com
All contribu ons must be submi ed at least 12 days before following mee ng.
Handwri en contribu ons will only be accepted from very senior members
Commi ee Member
11 Beverage Drive
(H) 9397 6878 (W) 9335 4666
Pat Ryan
Tullamarine, 3043
E-mail: <pat@ryansbus.com.au>
Commi ee Member
7 Cloverlea Dr
(H) 9728 8614 Mob 0411 304 575
John Balthazar
Kilsyth, 3137
E-mail: < balthazar@internode.on.net>
COMMITTEE APPOINTEES
Membership Secretary and
Limited Registra on
10 Irymple Ave
(H) 9509 4421 Mob: 0407 358 190, Email:
Peter Holbeach
Glen Iris, 3146
membershipsecretary@vintagesportscarclub.org.au
Youth Ambassador
62 Hornsby St
(H) 5475 1506 (W) 5470 5526 Mob: 0409 166 388
Daniel Clarke
Maldon, 3463
youthambassador@vintagesportscarclub.org.au
Librarian
Chester McKaige
03 9557 1134 (AH)
Club postal address is PO Box 3193, Cotham, 3101. We do not have a mail box at the club rooms.
The Clubrooms are at the rear, 110A Gatehouse Street, Parkville. Mee ngs are generally held on the 2nd Friday
of each month (commi ee mee ng the following Thursday).
It is appreciated that members only park their “historic cars” adjacent to the clubrooms on mee ng night. Please
respect the neighbours and do not park on the nature reserve.
The opinions expressed in this newsle er are not necessarily those of the VSCC of Victoria or its officers.
Whilst all care has been taken, neither the Club nor its officers accepts responsibility for the accuracy of informa on printed and or the quality of any items or services adver sed or men oned in this publica on. Incorporated Associa on Number A0000458F.
The editor reserves the right to edit contribu ons submi ed for prin ng
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VSCC CALENDAR 2013 (Subject to addi on and change)
SEP
13
20
21-22
OCT 5-6
11
12-13
19-20
19-20
NOV 8
8-10
10
15-17
24
30
DEC 1
8
10
13
MMM
Closing Date for Nomina ons for VSCC Commi ee
Alex Bryce Two Day Rally
TBA
Collingrove Hillclimb
Spor ng Car Club of South Australia
MMM & AGM
Welsh Weekend Light car and Edwardian Vehicles Event Peter Fleming
Mt Tarrengower Hillclimb
Commi ee & Bendigo CC
Australian Lancia Register Castlemaine Rally
MMM
Sandown Historic Races (TBC)
VHRR
Vauxhall Interna onal Rally 30/98 100th Anniversary commences
Bendigo Swap Meet
MG Car Club Historic Rob Roy Hillclimb
Geelong Sprints
Geelong Foreshore Commi ee
Geelong Sprints
Geelong Foreshore Commi ee
Two Wheel Brake Rally
Hipkins, Holbeach, Latrielle
Vauxhall Interna onal Rally 30/98 100th Anniversary concludes
MMM Christmas Party
E.L.Ves
ORPHAN (Looking for a date if enough people are interested?)
Track Day, Haunted Hills Morwell
Mark Burns/Pat Ryan
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T
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A
T
N
A
A
A
A
N
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IMPORTANT NOTICE TO UNFINANCIAL MEMBERS
Our membership Secretary, the legendary Peter Holbeach , tells me that the following have failed to
renew their subscrip ons! Because of the Club’s involvement in the Club Permit Scheme, it is necessary
to advise Vic Roads, that they are no longer members. This means that any permits held by them for
Club Permits Registra on become void, and thus their cars are unregistered notwithstanding that they
may have paid their registra on and hold documents that may seem to indicate that their registra on
is current!
The club is always sad to ‘lose’ members, so if you are in touch with these people please give them a
reminder! We know that Victoria Morris and Mike Farrell have returned to the UK, but Messrs Stuart
Banks, Robert Bradamanie, Rick Furlong, Tim Makeham, Bruce Mar n, Rod Nash, Bruce Thomas and
Andrew Turner may be re ring from Vintage Motoring.
In any event this will be your last newsle er.
GES
COMMITTEE CHATTER
In June, July and August the Commi ee resolved to name the library a er the late Graeme Miller, arranged for new shelving and heaters in the library and discussed obtaining a further computer for the
library, arranged for early opening of the library on Suspects lunch days, arranged the purchase of a
video camera and tripod to record guest speakers and interviews of senior members, arranged for the
purchase and installa on of a large screen television set in the mee ng room, declined to purchase a
collec on Joan Richmond memorabilia, considered changes to the monthly mee ng day and the January BBQ and resolved to survey members opinions and resolved to change the arrangements for the
presenta on of trophies.
Russell Meehan
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PREZ SEZ
This month saw yet another great day at Rob Roy. Unfortunately, the
dire weather forecast was probably responsible for many spectators
staying away, with a consequent effect on the gate takings, but for
those of us who were there, the weather held and it remained dry
for the mee ng, albeit cold and windy.
Several of the cars compe ng have had a long history of running at
Rob Roy, some even going back to the Pre-War years, such as Walter
Magilton’s Aspinall bodied MG Magne e. A notable newcomer to
this dis nguished group was the welcome return of the late Ted Hider-Smith’s Morris-engined GN special, now owned by Peter Donald.
GNs, by their very nature, look as if they were designed W. Heath
Robinson and Maurie Monk and later his cousin, Ted stayed true to
the concept with their modifica ons. The use of an olive oil n as a fuel tank and the exposed
chain drive for the distributor, echoing the GN transmission at the rear are two prime examples. That Peter is following on in this tradi on, there is li le doubt. To fit his lankier frame,
Peter was obliged to move the seat back about 4”, which in turn created a problem with
moun ng Ted’s compe on number, 68 [almost my lucky number]. The back of the seat needed support, so Peter used two legs from a pot plant stand. I thought he had retained the curly
bits as a decora ve feature, but no; a piece of dowel passed through these and through a hole
in the number plate, suppor ng its front end. Two pieces of wire ran from its back end and
passed through holes in the dowel, thus securing both the dowel and the rear of the number.
Very WW1 aircra .
Peter has also fi ed an “audible warning device,” to whit, a tram bell, actuated by giving a
sharp tug on a piece of string! Let us hope that neither VicRoads, nor CAMS ever legislate such
a splendid machine to a mere sta c display. Long may this spirit survive.
Now I must atone for my sins. In last month’s Newsle er, I wrote a sincere, but slightly
tongue in cheek obituary for Jan Willingham. Unfortunately, I managed to get several vital
facts wrong and Allan asked me to correct these errors both out of respect for the memory of
Jan and for the sake of posterity. In my piece I referred to Lord Albert’s consort as Lady Gwendoline, when in fact, she was known as Lady Gladys and her phrase of encouragement for his
Lordship was not “Get on with it, Albert!” but “Go for it, Albert!” These were en rely unforgivable mistakes and I can only offer, not as an excuse, but merely as an explana on, that like so
many people there on the day, I was overcome with emo on and failed to recall correctly.
But wait! There’s more! In an effort to improve an already good story, I inferred that Her Ladyship had been under the affluence of incohol when she first heard “The Ballad of Freda and
Barry.” In reality, Lady Gladys was quite abstemious and Lord Albert would like it known that in
all the years they were together, she was never, even to the slightest extent, inebriated. The
same may be said for Allan and Jan’s rela onship.
My most sincere apologies to both Allan and his alter ego, Lord Albert and also to his
“iden cal twin” brother, to whom I a ributed the Freda and Barry story. Someone told me,
but perhaps because they are so alike, I confused him with someone else! It does not pay to be
on the wrong side of members of the Aristocracy, so I fervently hope that you are aware that I
meant no disrespect. Mea culpa
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The S.U.S.P.E.C.T.S met at the Clubrooms on the 24th July last, and under the direc on of Russell
Meehan all of the ‘stuff’ upstairs in the Clubrooms was packed away down stairs. Included with
all this were some new Club Jumpers – one small and a number of XL. Together with last year’s
Rob Roy shorts that are all for sale. Come along to the next mee ng and make a purchase!
In a endance at the SUSPECTS were Messrs Meehan, Lakeland, Nantes, Vellaco , DiMa na,
Fleming, Malcolm Kirkpatrick, Allan Tyrell, King, Bacon, Hands, Zampa , Smallacombe and
your reporter ‐ 14 in all and a record a endance. No one in a Club car, but Max Bacon was there
in his MGB GT;
We produced a cake with candles to celebrate Daniel Zampa ’s 21th Birthday, the following
day. This would have to be an historic day in ‘Gatehouse’ history, as I cannot recall ever having a
member turning 21 and celebra ng the fact in these surrounding!!
Bob King was talking about the day he brought the Anzani Buga home, and how it suffered a
flat tye and nearly ran into the back of Graeme Quinn’s Silver Eagle that was towing it. This
brought to mind other occasions where ‘flat tyres’ were memorable, and David Smallacome
commented that the Con nental Cowley suffering a B.E. tyre going flat on the way back from the
24TT was not his only experience where there was no spare in such circumstances and it occurred on his first ou ng with his veteran Hotchkiss. I recalled John Buchanan having 5 or more
‘flats’ on his Benz also equipped with B.E. rims on the Interstate Rally via the Grampian and the
worst of all was the 16 flat tyres suffered by Nick Langford on the 2000 Alpine Rally in Tasmania,
when he was driving Georg Leitl’s MG L/NA. I was in the sweep car and flats caused me to be
late for the dinner that night and no places at the table for the 4 of us! I only ever had a flat B.E.
tyre which was on my “G” series Amilcar, when I had collected it from Footscray. My memory is
incomplete as to how I go the car home without an inflated spare. I feel that the RACV came to
my rescue!
Graeme and Jenny Jackson and I accompanied Ken Catlow to an “Open Day” at his syndicate’s
grazing property 153 kms outside Broken Hill. The only old car we saw on the 15500 acre property was a Renault 750 paddock car that was beyond restora on. Lots of Emus and Kangaroos, plus
sheep and ca le. What an experience. The Jackson’s were in their 4WD dual cab and we carted
back some Kelpie pups, one for Ken’s daughter. We saw the VSCC clubrooms in Broken Hill, but
no other cars;
Dale Parsell and Allan McKinnon, together with their spouses, have been OS and this included
an Alvis tour of Spain in a 12/50. All reports are posi ve;
Daniel Zampa is making a great effort to get his Bullnose Morris to Peter Fleming’s Fes val of
Sloth event near Lancefield/Kyneton in October next. Daniel has been greatly assisted by Messrs
Hands, Fleming, Smallacombe and Cox in this endeavour which is a great Club effort. Peter has
been to Jim Thompson and Peter Davey’s adjoining proper es to set out the trial and making
sure that there was a supply of mud and water that would make Cobbledick’s Ford seem like a
paddling pool!
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Warrick Gillin is reloca ng to Castlemaine from out in the ‘bush’ and joins Max Foster and Simon Ramsay in that municipality, along with Grant Cowie and Braeme Benne and Rick Furlong.
Ashley Tracey, who lives ‘out of town’ designed the Rob Roy poster;
Peter Fleming and I journey up to Castlemaine on the 21st August last to join Warrick Gillin for
lunch to celebrate his 76th Birthday – 3 days a er mine. Roger Rayson tore himself away from a
Ladies Arvo tea to join us. Wocca insisted on telling some of his oldest jokes which we all tolerated.
We did visit both Jim Thompson (recovering from a back opera on) and Grant Cowie’s workshop where Jim Goble’s Stoewer was having an engine rebuild and looked par cularly ‘original’
and had been founder member ‘Bert’ Hood’s just a er WWII;
Whilst we were away in the ‘bush” the SUSPECTS meet at GateHouse and installed the new TV
Set and only had a endance from 8 members , namely Messrs Lakeland, Balthzar, Hands, Vellaco , Bacon, Cooke and Catlow;
Tony Johns arrived at Rob Roy spor ng a “Tim Birkin Cravat” Very neat and apparently a gi on
the recent “Birkin Rally” he a ended in Switzerland.
The Commi ee discussed the January ‘Informal’ mee ng and entertained the sugges on that it
be held on a Saturday morning for a ‘brunch’ when the traffic was light etc. Worth thinking
about and there will be a discussion at the next MMM;
Likewise, the Presenta on Lunch was discussed with the rela vely poor a endance of members apart from Trophy Winners and spouses. The Commi ee is minded to likewise have a very
informal Presenta on Dinner at the Clubroom at Gatehouse on a Saturday morning BBQ. What
do you say?
GES
VALE – GRAHAM CAMPBELL HOWARD
Belatedly, we acknowledge the passing of Graham Howard in March of this year, at the me of the Phillip Island Historic Races. Graham was best known to us from his column about historic racing in Auto
AcƟon which he wrote for 35 years. He also made the recrea on of the Sabakatlong with motorcycle
engined Coopers. Most notable were the books that he wrote that included a major contribu on to The
50 year History of the Australian Grand Prix and in par cular his biography of Lex Davison “Larger than
Life” the la er being well researched and wri en in a style that was both informa ve and entertaining.
Graham was always available to assist in the promo on of Historic Motorsport as he chronicled Historic Racing.
GES
MOTORCLASSICA CLUB SANDWICH 26‐27 October
The organizers of Motorclassica have invited the club to par cipate in a display that has the above tle.
The idea is that they will accept up to ten cars per club and the cars will be grouped according to their
country of origin, with corresponding food and beverages being available nearby. Entrants will get free
entry for two to Motorclassica and are eligible for awards. Would anyone willing to organize a display
contact me and I will provide further details as I will be absent at that me.
They are also offering up to ten ckets per member at $10 discount if members book at
www.motorclassica.com.au quo ng the code MC1301X343.
Russell Meehan
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VSCC ROB ROY 2013
ROB ROY HILL CLIMB 16TH AUGUST 2103
I love going to Rob Roy. It’s not far and you never know what you’ll see there. I love all the revving
engines and it’s great to catch up with what everyone’s been up to. The drive up seemed quite short
with the new peninsula link delivering us at Rob Roy in about an hour and ten. It’s quite quick turning
off Eastlink at Ringwood bypass and up the Warrandyte Road.
It was interes ng to see all the changes to the site, with one of the houses that flank the road, gone
and some of the surrounding ground cleared. I always thought it was a strange thing to do; wending
your way around two houses that you could just about touch, as you went around them to get to the
circuit. It was green a er all the rain and the area was beau fully prepared and fes ve with all the
bun ng.
There were some stunning display cars
on the hill past the marquees; black Jaguar hard top, Bru Jones’ Lagonda, Russell
Meehan’s suitcase Lancia with its vases
and flowers in the back, the Lombard, the
8C Alfa, the TZ1 Alfa coupe Giulia and
Robert Sands had his beau ful Bristol 402
conver ble in the car park. A murder of
Morgans (pictured to the right) was there,
including a three-wheeler.
The day was cold, bi ng cold winds, but
sunshine and no rain! I don’t know how
that happened as it threatened in the
a ernoon but didn’t deliver. The event
was extremely well organised and the
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sixty odd cars all had their prac ce
and three runs by about 3 pm. I
had not seen the ground all marked
out and numbered like that, as I
didn’t go last year.
I amused myself by checking
mes, taking wobbly videos of
Ted’s runs and the backs of people’s heads and yacking with folk
not seen for a while.
It was disappoin ng to hear of
the trouble that John Hickford had
with his 1929 replica Perkins Special. It was sounding so sweet in the
prac ce run; but he was sidelined
at the first run, ran the second, but
the engine was missing and he didn’t do his third run. Fantas c to see
Connor Ryan driving the big Vauxhall up the hill! Quite a feat. I had
never seen a Bentley go up the hill
either. Quite a day for firsts! It
was instruc ve to watch the way
drivers tackled the first turn a er
that first hill. There was usually a
hesita on there, whether a gear
change or just backing off. A few
of the drivers just blasted on
through, like the blue Alfa’s Mark
Patane and the Ford Anglia’s Russell
Mead. They also ran good mes,
but Mark said he wasn’t happy with
his 28s. When I did it, years ago, I
was so worried about changing
gears, that I just put it into second
before the first turn toward the
bridge and kept my foot flat to the
floor and just hoped I would get
there. The thought of having to
stop mid-hill, change down to first,
miss it, etc. and end up in the bushes was too much to contemplate.
Anyway, it worked, but only just.
Peter Davey in Jim Thompson’s
Brescia Bugaƫ, top;
Graeme Steinfort’s MG TA, Ed Taylor’s J3 and Walter Magilton’s NA,
centre; and
Richard Longes Type 35 Bugaƫ,
boƩom.
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The motor had a lot of torque.
It was great to be able to get out
of the wind at the marquees. Margaret Cox and Sharon Balthazar
provided tea and coffee all day, in
compe on with Dima na’s
coffee and cakes truck; whose
coffee machine didn’t want to
wake up just yet.
It was great seeing the ‘live’ results printout in the octunda and
the results posted on the board
outside.
The commentaries were of the
usual high standard; I don’t know
how they remember all that stuff.
Lots of interes ng snippets of info
about the drivers, the cars, in parcular or the marque in general.
For example, Walter Magilton talking about Peugeots and how they
are not necessarily fast cars, but
you cannot break them! Then, Ted
stalled the 203 on the start line
and the accelerator linkage fell off,
leaving him totally immobile on the
start line! Fate tempted and delivered on cue. All was well though
and he ended up with some pre y
good mes.
One of the fellow Redex rerun
(May and June 2013), who is a rally
enthusiast and long term Targa
navigator, lives nearby and he
came for a look see. He didn’t
bring his rally 203 that was on the
Redex, as the distributor sheared
off the block during a local coffee
run the day before.
Thanks to the MG club and VSCC
folk, whose me and efforts that
weekend gave us such a great day.
Fran Young
The Murdoch Lombard with Alan
Tyrell’s s/c AusƟn 7 Ulster, top;
Neil Cooke’s MG PB, centre; and
Bob King’s Type 35 Bugaƫ,
boƩom.
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For some reason the mes of a few compe tors were not recorded in this tabula on and we were
not able to get the results updated in me for publica on.
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MORE ROB ROY PHOTOS
The Ted Hider Smith GN Morris back in compeƟƟon being driven by new owner Peter Donald
Don Dimaƫna’s SS100
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Barry Batagol’s Speed Six Bentley
Walter Magilton’s MG NA
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Darren Visser’s “Equipe” with the replica Chamberlain atop
A very nice three wheel Morgan
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UP HILL AND DOWN DALE HISTORIC CARS – HISTORIC PLACES
The 2013 Gregor Rusden Memorial Delage/Bentley Rally
On Sunday 2 June Max and Karen Foster turned on a most enjoyable event. Highlights included morning tea at the historic Eynesbury complex south of Melton, some fine driving up hill and down dale on
secondary roads through the historic townships of Myrniong and Trentham, the wonderful Wombat
State Forest and a pleasant lunch and much happy cha er at the Victoria Hotel in Woodend. The sun
peeked out occasionally but the hills and woods were o en shrouded in mists and rain.
Par cipants
Bentley and Delage owners came in approximately equal numbers – likewise women and men were
evenly matched, so the conversa on was lively. However, Delage cars outnumbered the Bentleys by
six to one. Of the Delage entrants, it was clear that the older the car, the braver the driver/navigator.
Courtney and Ros Pern in their 1921 DE Tourer at least had the op on of a hood, but Ros considered it
more dangerous when erected. Gerald Baker in his 1922 CO Tourer went it alone with no hood. The
Swinnertons, enjoying their DIC a er a frustra ng rebuild, had a bob each way, whilst the Fosters in
their DML and the Sheard/O’Neill équipe in the DMS travelled swi ly and safely with their hoods erect.
Margaret and I thanked God for the coupé’s roof, Rainex and adequate ven ng – comfort at last and
we can Bentley owners were somewhat reluctant to expose their pre-war cars to the elements. Peter
Willcox drove his 1931 4-litre saloon from Fryerstown to the lunch, where he was joined by Suzanne
and daughter Pippa. Allan and Judy Watson chose their modern Con nental R in preference to the 4litre. Tony and Chris ne Johns, having sent the 3 litre to Europe for a rally, were in their Jaguar XK Coupé, whilst John McQuay forsook his 3 litre for a very a rac ve Porsche Super 90 356B. Bentley Club
President Roger Cameron, having sold his 3-litre, apparently decided it would be inappropriate to mix
the products of Molsheim with those of Courbevoie. Graeme and Lynn Miller also le the Speed 6 in
the garage. Andrew Moran and Robyn came with an album of pictures of progress and dreams in relaon to their Blue Label 3-litre restora on – drop head conver ble?
And that brings me to Chester and Sally McKaige who have a foot in both camps with the very effec ve
Red Label 3-litre and a very spor ng DM Delage restora on. Hopefully they will bring one of these cars
over on the ferry for next year’s events.
Highlights ‐ morning tea at Eynesbury
The historic Eynesbury Sta on of 27 square miles (the size of Phillip Island) was, un l its redevelopment
in 2000, the largest pastoral holding within 300 kilometres of Melbourne. Originally part of an even
larger holding, it was in the ownership of the Staughton family from 1841-1947 when it was sold to the
Baillieu family. The elegant bluestone homestead and its formal gardens and outbuildings are a li leknown gem within 40 kilometres of central Melbourne. The redevelopment plan for the property now
being implemented sought to preserve these features within their a rac ve landscape se ng, including the original gardens and grey box forest, through which the entrance driveway now passes. The
new housing is clustered around the homestead and golf course. The redevelopment plan also included a large environmental element, including water recycling and preserva on of the majority of the
property for its tradi onal agricultural use. The loca on of the Surbiton Sewage Treatment Plant made
this possible.
Having been ac vely involved in planning for the redevelopment, I’m certainly pleased to revisit it.
Thank goodness it was conceived at a me when the Government and the landowners paid due regard
to history and environment, and didn’t just seek to maximise development poten al.
The homestead now operates as a Club House, func on venue and café, and we enjoyed good coffee
and a casual tour of the stunning homestead.
On the road
For us, the real pleasure of pre-war motoring is to travel on rela vely empty roads through a variety of
country, mountain and seaside landscapes in tandem with similarly minded fellow motorists. We were
in luck and followed the DMS. Having driven the car when Felix Cappy owned it, it seems to go just as
well but steers and brakes a lot be er. Perhaps Felix liked to live dangerously!
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Excellent torque, the instant Cotal gearbox and good brakes and steering add to the fun of driving the
D6 70S Coupé. It provides an en rely different experience from the D6 70 le Mans open car, which is
to all intents and purposes a Delahaye 135 compe on car with a Delage radiator.
The Pentland Hills, followed by the long and varied road through the Wombat State Forest, was as
pleasant a motoring experience as I had enjoyed for a long me. While the rain and mist enhanced our
adventure, it was somewhat less idyllic for the Swinnertons, the Perns and Gerald Baker in their open
cars – however all were happy by the me they reached Woodend.
Woodend – lunch
The Victoria Hotel in Woodend was home turf for me, having grown up five miles south at Macedon.
Fi y-five years ago I ran the gauntlet of the 6 o’clock closing regime at the Victoria, and have happy
memories of dances and friends there.
Delages and Bentleys are shared pleasures, so the conversa on over lunch was not only concerned
with stories about cars and their foibles. Purchasing houses in northern Tasmania, recently seen films,
books, children and grandchildren all got a run and everyone was happy. As a consequence we motored down the Calder freeway with broad smiles. Appropriately, the rain stopped at South Gisborne.
The Murdoch Trophy
Max awarded the Murdoch Trophy to Gerald Baker in the CO. He richly deserved it having braved the
elements alone and suffered the heart-stopping drama of failed brakes. We believe the trophy is desned to fight for space on the mantelpiece with Angie’s golf trophies.
John Lawson
EU PROPOSALS FOR PERIODIC TESTING OF VEHICLES
FROM VSCC (UK) FEBRUARY 2013 NEWSLETTER
The following is a summary of a four page item in the above newsle er focusing on ma ers relevant to
owners of pre-war vehicles. While these ma ers do not directly affect us here in Victoria they are an
indica on of the thinking processes of bureaucracies in Europe and no doubt their fellow bureaucrats
here in Victoria will be keeping themselves up to date with these happenings.
The opening comment from the VSCC (UK) was “Not as bad as we thought!” There was great concern that the original July 2012 EU proposal could have had a damaging effect on the use and enjoyment of pre-war cars, par cularly those that have been modified in any way. Working groups began
work in the Member States in September and the VSCC (UK) secretary a ended a mee ng at the Department for Transport in London in November along with representa ves of about 35 other organisaons which had expressed some concerns at the proposals. Key issues were: the defini on of roadworthiness, the defini on of a historic vehicle and a proposal that vehicles failing a roadworthiness test be
immediately deregistered. The Department for Transport presented the following figures on feedback
it had received from organisa ons it consulted on the proposals.
Type
Associa ons/Clubs
Business
Public Authority
General Public
In Favour%
5
75
50
47
Neutral%
5
8
50
10
Against%
90
16
42
For the old car movement a major issue is the defini on of a vehicle of historic interest and as we are
familiar here, issues arise with modified vehicles. (As we know here, there is a world of difference between a vintage car with added FWB’s or a different period engine and 1,000 HP street rod). In the UK
there are certain tes ng exemp ons for pre 1960 cars and it is proposed that these remain. Much of
the nego a on has revolved around whether these par cular provisions are to be a direc ve or a regula on. (Direc ves can be interpreted locally by Member States, regula ons cannot).
20
Original Text from 13 July 2012
Update from 16 November 2012
“vehicle of historic interest” means any vehicle that
fulfils the following condi ons:
was manufactured 30 years ago;
is maintained by the use of replacement parts which
reproduce the historic components of the vehicle;
it has not sustained any change in the technical characteris cs of its main components such as engine, brakes,
steering or suspension and it has not been changed in
its appearance.
“vehicle of historic interest” means any vehicle that has
been declared as historical by a Member State or one of
its appointed bodies and fulfils the following condi ons:
it was manufactured or registered for the first me at
least 30 years ago;
its type is no longer in produc on;
it is in its original state and has not sustained substan al
changes in the technical characteris cs of its main components such as engine, brakes, steering suspension or
body.
“roadworthiness test” means a verifica on that the
“roadworthiness test” means an inspec on to ensure
parts and components of a vehicle comply with its safe- that a vehicle is safe to be used on public roads and
ty and environmental characteris cs in force at the me complies with required environmental characteris cs.
of approval, first registra on or entry into service, as
well as at the me of retrofi ng.
In follow up discussions with the Federa on of Bri sh Historic Vehicle Clubs it was clear that further
work is required on the defini on of a historic vehicle but that being classified as a historic vehicle will
not be a prerequisite for using such a vehicle on the road. The UK Minister for Transport briefly took
ques ons at the November mee ng with DfT and the VSCC secretary was able to make the point that
where exemp ons occur it is much easier to target those groups which are exempt for par cular condi ons on the use of vehicles and that we did not like being exemp ons. This point was duly noted.
The Minister said that it would be his personal goal to kill off the proposals completely but if they were
to be implemented they would not impact unnecessarily on the tes ng regime as it currently exists in
the UK.
This ma er is ongoing and it will be interes ng for us to see where it ends up. When you have EU
bureaucrats who have unashamedly devised rules for the allowable curvature in bananas and cucumbers, anything is possible. Fortunately there is a well organised old car movement that does its best to
monitor these proposals. I have seen it stated that the old car movement in the UK contributes several
billion dollars annually to the economy and as a consequence represents too many voters to disregard.
Membership of the UK VSCC alone is around 7,500.
There is the o quoted saying ”the price of freedom is eternal vigilance” which is a ributed to Thomas Jefferson and others. It has been suggested however that the phrase originated in the more expansive statement of Irish orator John Philpot Curran in 1790 which seems to me to be par cularly relevant in our case: "It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the ac ve.
The condi on upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance."
We owe many thanks to the likes of Rod Amos and his efforts through the AOMC to bring us the present limited registra on log book scheme enabling us in Victoria to enjoy the use our cars with the
freedom this system presently allows. I say presently because there is an ongoing effort by some to
apply inappropriate regula ons to this scheme that would have the result of excluding many of our
cars on the basis that they have been modified from their original condi on. As noted in the July
Newsle er, this ma er here is far from over and there are some interes ng parallels with the UK debate outlined above.
Having received my postal vo ng papers I was interested to see that on the Senate ballot paper there
is the “Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party”. Having read through their quite elaborate website there
was li le evidence I could see that they have much interest in our type of motoring and having looked
at their preference alloca on on the Australian Electoral Commission website it is not easy to see
where an above the line Senate vote for that party would ul mately go. Nonetheless it will be interes ng to see how many votes will go to this party with what will to many be an appealing name. I am
sure that the poli cal analysts will be watching this with interest too.
Mike Bellair
21
THE 2013 ROB ROY BILLY‐CART RACE
This year saw an overall improvement in the standard of vehicles compe ng and the fame of this
premier event has reached the farthest regions of the Commonwealth, with Chris ne Stevens and her
husband coming down from Queensland with their Model T Ford billy-cart.
Compe on was fierce with only 0.7 of a second separa ng the 1st and 2nd place ge ers and only a
further 0.5 of a second to 3rd place.
Chris ne Stevens
Ben Medley
Luke Vessel
Rachel Brown
Callum Sterry
Tristan Jackson
Model T Ford 1
Bluga
Bunny III ½
Model T Ford 2
Vanwall
Red Pedal Car
1st run
2nd run
place
11.60
12.70
12.90
14.00
14.00
34.90
13.60
12.20
13.10
13.40
14.50
------
FTD
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
Following a protest and examina on by a doctor, Chris ne Stevens was found to have used
growth and age enhancing drugs [alcohol was
suspected]. However, while deprived of first
place, her Fastest Time of the Day was allowed
to stand.
First placing therefore went to Ben Medley,
who checked out clean in the random swab,
although he was seen consuming so drink
a er the event.
The youngest compe tor, Tristan Jackson’s
Red Pedal Car (featured on the front cover)
was of par cular interest, using as it did a novel Stability Control Device, “The Tim Jackson
Bungy Brake,” which lead to the remarkable
sight of him crossing the finish line three mes
before finally coming to rest! At the press interview a er the race, when asked about his
rather slow me, he said, “I told Grandpa we
should have bought the Usain Bolt Bungy
Brake!”
Unfortunately, a er the mechanics worked
all night, the Brooklands Riley billy-cart arrived
too late to compete, but looks like it might be
a serious contender next year.
Congratula ons to all the compe tors and
pit crews.
Doug Sterry’s rather grand Billy Cart
Stephen Hands
22
DELAGE CLUB AND VSCC BASTILLE DAY 14 JULY 2013
Messieurs et Dames, comment allez vous? C’est bon? Oui! Bien sur.
This day is a celebra on of the storming of the Bas lle in Paris; the revolu on of the French proletariat
(the Na onal Guard) against the abuses of the monarchy, spor ng the tricolor cockades which later
became the symbol of France. It’s sobering to think that the subsequent Declara on of the Rights of
Man and of the Ci zen in 1789, was a scant 224 years ago.
We, or rather, Ted, decided to take the French car that we flung ourselves around Australia in for the
Redex Rerun (Anniversary of the 1953 run that put Peugeot on the map in Australia).
Mind you, we hadn’t gone near the 203 since we got back (4 weeks ago). Ten thousand kilometers
without a clutch (some of that through Sydney), a broken door handle driver’s side, a window winder
not secured driver’s side (had to use to open the door), seat belts that either would not feed out as we
got going or that would not enable you to lean forward to find the window winder (which fell off at
regular intervals), the water bo le etc.
Well, we’ve got the clutch hydraulics sorted, but the clutch travel is extremely short and s ff, so
you’re either stalling or knee-trembling at the lights. The door handle is fixed and now there is no circus
required if we want to get out of the car!
So, we had a car with a roof and a heater for this wintry and cold beginning. It was a nice change to
get in the car and to be warm. Several other folk had the same idea with Russell Meehan, Max and Karen Foster in Lancia Fulvias, Kurt Shultz in the Riley Kestrel, Jane and Gillie in a modern and that beau ful burgundy Lancia (maybe a B20?) at the winery.
Gordon and Cassie in the Lagonda M45 were having coffee at the drive through coffee place there. I
had no idea there was a drive through coffee place in the burbs! Amazing. I have to get out more. Cassie was bemoaning the lack of tricolor support, saying that her red boots were not water proof so she
had the black ones on. But she did claim a red t-shirt underneath. I didn’t do the tricolor but I did sport
a beret!
Arrived at the Burvale Hotel car park around 9:00 am and sad to see folk hot-foo ng it to the games
room, open 7 days, 9 am to 5 pm. However, good for those folk who needed the plumbing!
Bru Jones in his 3 litre Lagonda no ced the 3 Eiffel Towers near Mt Dandenong. And that was before
lunch!
I must admit that I paid the 1789 revolu on li le mind as we drove through the beau ful rolling hills in
the bri le sunshine.
The luncheon of an pasto and several varie es of pizza was served in the restaurant overlooking
luscious green fields with the fabulous backdrop of cloud draped mountains. It was Alan Reid’s birthday
and Gerald gave speeches of thanks and happy days. The group remembered the sudden passing of
Graeme Miller with a minute of silence
Even though we were all festooned with li le French flags and despite Gillie’s spirited encouragement, nobody could come up with the words to La Marseillaise! Shame on all us Francophiles! This
same parochial shortcoming nearly happened on the Redex Rerun; but was saved by the brilliant rendion of this marvelous anthem by Ian Hampton, from Cooma. Ian was driving in a Peugeot 203 (car
#53), with Peter Dowling, the son of John Dowling, who was a co-driver in the original 1953 Redex Trial
with John Crouch in a 203 number 53.
Bad show for lack of show from Monsieur Sheard, who has four Delages and didn’t even dust off one!
Thanks to the Delage club for the invite for the VSCC to come along.
Fran Young
23
PENETRATING OILS
The following is a summary of an item from the Riley Gaze e provided
by Kurt Schultz.
“The Machinist’s Workshop Magazine published the results of the
breakout torque on rusted nuts. Figures are in foot pounds.
No oil used 516, WD40 238, PB Blaster 214, Liquid Wrench 127,
Kano Kroil 106,
Home Brew of 50 – 50 mix of auto transmission fluid and acetone or
lacquer thinner 53.
A further interes ng comment was that a seized cranksha pulley nut
that would not release a er treatment with WD40 was loosened a er
soaking with Eucalyptus oil for a few days”.
LETTERS
NEWSTEAD GYMKHANA
I would like to respond to Conor Ryan’s comment about making the gymkhana a mul club event and
hopefully en cing more juniors to enter.
There are a couple of points to consider. One is that to keep above board with CAMS, a mul club
permit would be required, and this is 10 mes the cost of a single club permit. This makes the permit
cost more than the event turns over as a whole. Though if someone from another club wants to enter..........
Secondly, I ini ally had the idea of star ng the event as a club event then moving on to mul club
and bigger, be er, brighter. The feed back I received a er the first few events was to keep it small and
how it was. This is obviously an easier course as it involves less work for me and my band of merry
men, so that’s the way it is.
One of the reasons for establishing the gymkhana in the first place was to allow younger people to
get some experience behind the wheel of a car and to experience the joy of driving vintage cars, all in a
safe environment. Soon the juniors that we have entering now will be “mixing it with the adults” as age
and experience moves them along, which means we won’t have any juniors, which is a shame.
In one of the reports on the 24 Trial a number of father/son combina ons were noted. It would be
good to see these people at Newstead, along with mother/daughter, grandmother/granddaughter or
step grandfather/ step grandson combina ons. Perhaps we could have a family “compe on”. If you
have children or grandchildren or great grandchildren or even great great grandchildren that are 14
years old or over bring them along next year.
Next year is the event’s 10th year. It would be great to see 10 juniors entered.
Robert Sales
DUTY CALLS
If one concludes that the Road Lobby's East West Tunnel will be built it only takes a glance at Melways
to realise that there will be a yawning gap in what could be "The Great Melbourne Ring Road". All that
is needed to further delay the buiding of rail infrstructure is a project to link the Monash and Eastern
Freeways. To be known as the "Great NS Link".
Dr. Napthine won't be in power for comple on of the EW Tunnel in, circa 2030, so I suggest that, as a
significant part of the Road Lobby, the VSCC Inc. should start to promote the NS Link.
To assist in this Positve Policy Development I outline below a route that compliments the Great EW
Tunnel Project. Reference to Melway Maps 43&44 will show what a marvellously compact project this
24
is thus obvia ng the need for an expensive Cost-Benefit Study.
The route starts at its Southern end with trucks coming off the Monash with a state-of the-art interchange that is mainly over that wasteland known as Gosch's Paddock but also partly over the Yarra to
give a good view of the high-rise development planned for Government House site. The 5 lane [each
way] road then plunges down under the MCG into geological condi ons similar to those for the Burnley
Tunnel which used ground-breaking technology to plug the leaks, so cost overruns can be guaranteed.
The tunnel then runs directly under Parliament House. This sec on u lises the defuncted Loop Rail
Tunnel, with great cost savings. Heading North the tunnel emerges in another state-of-the-art above
ground interchange in Princes Park with, of course, below ground connec ons to the EW Tunnel. .The
structures are environmentally sensi ve as they leave some the trees in Royal Parade and are elevated
over the Melbourne General Cemetary, so as not to disturb the tenants.
Now for the key feature of the whole project which gives traffic direct access into the heart of the
CBD. Ramp tunnels flow up into street-level and elevated structures that encircle Parliament House
thus protect its residents from the rest of the popula on. Economist designed bridges require the
demoli on of the old part of the Windsor Hotel but compensate for loss of accommoda on by conver ng The Treasury into a 5 Star Back-packers' pad, high-rise of course.
Careful design has avoided the costly demoli on of St. Patricks Cathedral but St. Peters Church and Fire
Sta on will be relocated to South Morang.
I urge members to get involved in this marvellous project. A good start would be to contact your local
Parliamentarian of either party as this will clearly be
a bipar san policy ini a ve. It is our duty to work to enhance the future of Vintage Motoring.
P.S. Nearly forgot, the Treasury Gardens, that seedy venue for drug-dealers and possums will be
converted into training grounds and supplement facili es for Collingwood and Carlton. The inclusion of
Essendon is under review by the AFL.
Further I hope you no ced that no residen al proper es are to be compulsorily acquired.
Get on board,
Hipflask
MYSTERY PHOTO
Last month’s mystery photo came from Graeme Steinfort’s collec on. It is of Ted Hider Smith on his
way to compete in an event but just which event and where it was taken Graeme is not sure. The only
response was from Mike Hipkins who submi ed the following:
“The car is clearly a Frazer Nash. Its straight brakeless front axle suggests that it is an early car, say
1924, but some two wheel brake cars were ordered Ɵll the late 1920s.
The radiator looks as though it might be the cast aluminium rather than of German Silver. If so this
reinforces a view that it is an early car.
The large number ' 3' on the radiator is interesƟng as Archie Frazer Nash seemed to like ' 3' as his racing number. This raises the quesƟon as to whether it was trying to look
like one of Archie's car or was in fact one of his race cars..
I'm not informed on early Victoria number plates but FJ 664 looks to be early 1930s which could be
when it was imported, perhaps for speedway racing.
Several GNs and Frazer Nashes were made into specials in the 40s and 50s but none sƟll exist to my
knowledge. Unfortunately we can't ask Ted.
The real mystery is, who's body is lying over by the fence?
Regards
Hipflask”
This month’s mystery photo was taken at a VSCC event in the 1960’s
25
FOR SALE AND WANTED
WANTED
Jaeger Maltese cross design oil pressure gauge. Black dial with 4 cut out segments which show red.
Anything considered. Inc price?
Nigel Willey 0395983020 nigelwilley@hotmail.com
FREE
The immortal Newstead gymkhana Mazda is available to the first to bring a trailer along and take it
away. Virtually rust and ding free, a good project for an up and coming autophile. Originally designed
by Bertone for Alfa Romeo, who I believe designed the mechanicals, the car finally being produced by
Mazda. An under-appreciated and reliable classic.
Robert Sales 5476 2007 vintagerobert@gmail.com
FOR SALE
A 1924 Lorraine Dietrich B36, fully restored is for sale at $155,000 and the owners may be contacted by
telephone 0407 319 359 for Travis and 0429 338 908 for Ken. No other details, but if it is a 3 litre, keep
in mind that they achieved some success at the early Le mans events and have a ‘Gothic ‘ shaped radiator and a very colourful detailed radiator badge!
FOR SALE
A er 50 years of collec ng Riley related Automobilia da ng from 1900 to 1963, including Sales Catalogues, Hand Books, Workshop Manuals, Adver sements and much, much more, it is now me to
sell. This is one of the finest and most diverse collec ons known and includes too many items to
list. Anyone interested in any Automobilia, Riley related, please email me and let me know what it is
that is of interest to you: I will reply to all enquiries with details of the item/s available, together with
price/s. Kurt Schultz brooklands9@gmail.com 0402 11 77 88
MINUTES OF MEMBERS MEETING HELD ON
9 AUGUST 2013
Welcome: The President welcomed members & guests to the mee ng.
Apologies: Graeme Steinfort, Mike Bellair, Chester McKaige, Chris
Terdich, George Cox, Jim Thompson and Mark Burns
Visitors: Mark Weller
New Members: Nil
Sick List: Jim Thompson and Stuart Anderson, both of whom are recovering from surgery.
RECENTLY DECEASED: Neville Webb (Q’land)
Minutes of Previous Mee ng –The minutes of the mee ng held on 12th July 2013 were confirmed on a
mo on moved by Geoff Burford seconded by John Balthazar.
Correspondence:
Various club newsle ers;
Invita on to Motorclassica “Club Sandwich” and offer of reduced entry fee;
26
Le er from the Federa on re: the Club Permit Scheme;
Fliers for various events.
PAST EVENTS:
S.U.S.P.E.C.T.S Lunch:
July 24th
Lunch in Clubrooms. Daniel Zampa ’s 21st birthday was celebrated.
Frostbite Run:
July 14th
Combined with the Delage Club Bas le Day Run. Enjoyable run over lovely roads to lunch at Killara
Estate.
COMING EVENTS:
Rob Roy Hill Climb:
August 18: Sub-commi ee - John Lakeland
Over 50 cars entered. Organiza on going well. Just needs good weather.
S.U.S.P.E.C.T.S Lunch:
August 21:
Cootamundra Sprints:
August 31
Organizer: VSCC of A
Alex Bryce Two Day Rally:
September 21-22
Organizers: Mark Burns & Mark McKibbin
Starts at Pakenham and will traverse Southern Gippsland on Saturday and Northern Gippsland on
Sunday to a finish near to Eastlink.
Collingrove Hill Climb:
5-6 October:
Entries available at SCCSA Events Office:
Ph: (08) 8271 5689 fax (08) 8272 5396
Email: sccsaevents@internode.on.net
AGM:
October 11th
Nomina ons close on 20 September
The President and Secretary will not be standing for re-elec on to those posi ons.
Welsh Weekend;
October 12 - 13th: Organizer: Peter Fleming
Relaxing enjoyable weekend for light cars but all cars welcome. Venue Jim Thompson’s farm at
Carlsruhe.
Mt Tarrengower Hill Climb:
October 19-20th
Organizer: Sub-commi ee and Bendigo CC
More pre-war entries would be most welcome.
Financial Report: Philip Burns.
Income from subscrip ons $7,790, expenses $14,600, balance $17,727.
CARS AND PARTS FOR SALE:
1923 Packard 6 single seat conver ble: Bernie Jacobson
Large collec on of Riley related automobilia: Kurt Schultz
WANTED:
6 volt ba ery with lead connectors showing for the 1928 ming equipment formerly used at Mt
Tarrengower. John Needham. John was directed to Ariel Ba eries.
Pre-war Riley pre-selector gear box in any condi on. Kurt Schultz.
Crankcase for 12/50 Alvis: Allan Willingham
GENERAL BUSINESS:
Next year will be the 85th anniversary of the Mt Tarrengower Hill Climb. Robert Sales wants any historical material on the event.
John Needham celebrated his 71st birthday last Sunday
The Secretary gave a report on the Victorian State Council of CAMS mee ng held on 6 August
Mee ng closed at 9.30 pm.
The President thanked Dom Dima na and Giovanni for the coffee and arranging the supper.
27
CLUB PRICE $120
FOR YOUR COPY CONTACT
GRAEME STEINFORT 9499 3827
28
photo?
mystery
month’s
nise this
recog‐
anyone
Does
newsle er@vintagesportscarclub.org.au